Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s humanitarian trip to Jordan has sparked debate — but now royal editor Russell Myers is pushing back on the backlash.
While appearing on A Right Royal Podcast, hosted by HELLO!, The Mirror’s royal editor weighed in on criticism surrounding the Sussexes’ two-day visit, which focused on health and relief efforts in the region.
Myers argued that the couple face criticism no matter what they do.
“I kind of feel with Harry and Meghan that they’re damned if they do, they’re damned if they don’t. They have a profile. It’s still big business for charities and organisations around the world who will want to work with them.”
He acknowledged, however, that the location of the visit raised eyebrows, given Jordan’s longstanding ties to the British royal family.
“But the issue with going to Jordan, is that it is pretty much in the royal family’s backyard. The royal family have a really close relationship with the Jordanian royal family. We’ve just seen William in the Middle East as well.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex — who stepped down as working royals in 2020 — traveled to Jordan at the invitation of the World Health Organization’s Director-General. Their itinerary reportedly included meetings with Jordanian leaders, WHO officials, and humanitarian teams coordinating food and medical relief efforts.
Despite online criticism questioning their role as non-working royals, Myers described much of the pushback as misplaced.
“I think some of the criticism is largely unfair. They are there with the World Health Organisation. They’re not there economically and they’re not there to promote a Netflix series.”
He did concede uncertainty about media involvement but maintained that their platform can still serve a purpose.
“Maybe they are. I mean, I don’t know if they’ve got a camera crew following them. Perhaps they are, but what they are doing is they are still using their profile for public good. So I think people need to calm down a little bit.”
With headlines dominated by both the Jordan visit and ongoing royal tensions, the debate around Harry and Meghan’s role post-royal life clearly isn’t going away.
